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Death Is Just a Door

By John Holland, Unity Magazine

Death is not something to be frightened of—it’s really just a door. I wrote my latest book to help those who have lost people to know that they’re still connected, as well as to help those who are curious and want to take communicating with the other realm more seriously. It’s for the bereaved, for mediums, and even for skeptics.

When people talk to someone who is departed, many look up and say something like, “Hello, Mom,” or “Hello, God.” But they’re not up there in the clouds. The spirit world is all around us. It vibrates at such a high frequency that we can’t see it. I know this sounds sci-fi but there are many different planes of existence. Quantum physics tells us that there are four dimensions, but it’s really like 10. Science is just scratching the surface. The spirit world, heaven, is on many different planes, intermingling with our own. We’re in the densest physical plane here on earth.

We are both spiritual beings and physical beings. Your soul existed long before it incarnated, and it’s going to exist long after it leaves your body. In reality, there is no death. Many people look at death as being incredibly sad, and they worry about their loved ones on the other side. They’re fine—we who are still here in the physical plane are the ones who aren’t fine. More and more people are now open to the existence of the afterlife. If I can say something in a reading that only the person who has passed could have told me, the person I’m reading for can go home reassured. I can’t take away their grief, but I can open their minds just a little to the reality that their loved ones really are okay. I then feel I’ve done my job.

However, you don’t have to go to a medium to hear from a departed loved one. After Death Communication (ADC) is a researcher’s term for signs from the other side to let loved ones know that the person who has passed is still there. ADCs are not done through mediums. You experience them yourself. Something touches your heart when this happens and you think, I just know that was my mother.

Most of us have had some form of ADC, but we don’t always know it. ADCs can come in many forms, the most common being dreams. When you’re asleep, your conscious mind takes a break so it’s easier for those on the other side to slip in to your subconscious. They often appear as younger, healthier, and vibrant. These are usually colorful dreams and are often very short. If you’re lucky, you get a hug.

ADCs can also involve scents. A house may be suddenly filled with the aroma of tobacco, and it turns out that the father of the person who lives there smoked a pipe. A woman told me that one day in December, her house filled with the scent of roses. It happened to be the anniversary of her mother’s passing, and her mom had grown prize roses. Initially, the woman thought the scent was air freshener from her neighbor. I giggled when she told me that, and I said, “No, that wouldn’t fill up your whole house!”

Sometimes they leave shiny coins (especially pennies) in places where you had just been—on top of your pillow, in the sink you just cleaned, or on the desk you just left. Another common way to connect is through animals—a bird, a ladybug, or a butterfly, for example. Electronics are also big. Certain numbers may keep popping up. Watch for subtle signs like this because the more you start to notice them, the easier it becomes to recognize more of them.

Someone once asked me why their people on the other side don’t just show up in front of them. “Come on. This is not Hollywood,” I said. “If your loved one showed up in front of you, you’d end up passing away from shock or at least your hair would turn white.” That’s why they communicate with very subtle signs.

When it happens, try not to talk yourself out of it. If you’re getting an ADC—whether it’s a smell, a coin, electronics playing with you—just acknowledge it because those on the other side want to know, “Can they feel me? Can they hear me?” After all, when people pass away, they don’t get an automatic instruction manual. They learn how to connect from the other side with those here. Some people ask me, “If my loved one is talking to me, does that mean that they’re stuck here?” No, they come and go. They temporarily lower their vibration, and you raise yours, to make contact.

A gentle meditation can help get you out of your head and guide you to an elevated space where you can invite loved ones into that vibration. It’s very noisy in the outside world, with traffic, social media, and life in general. I liken meditation to using your inner technology before you reach for your outer technology.

Everyone receives this kind of intuitive information differently. When you’re clairsentient, you can feel communication. Clairaudients hear it, and clairvoyants see it. That’s the training that I give. However, you don’t have to go through all that training to experience your loved one. That’s for someone who wants to take it to the next level. I encourage people to know what their psychic strength is and then to work on it—not just for mediumship, but for every area of your life.

Experiencing the other side is not dangerous. It can be a little startling because you’re not used to it, but it shouldn’t scare you. People have asked me about evil entities, but in the 20 years that I’ve done this work, I’ve never experienced anything like that. That’s very Hollywood.

When I started writing Bridging Two Realms, I intended to write for the bereaved but then the book took on a life of its own because I saw what was needed in society. People are asking more profound questions now. They don’t understand why, all of the sudden, they’re more psychic than ever. Why do they feel like their loved ones are closer?

If you can just get quiet and go inward occasionally, that will help. Try to stop the monkey-mind chatter and just get to know your own soul. You are a soul that comes with a body, not a body that comes with a soul. You are a soul first. Be in touch with that. It’s there waiting; it never leaves you. Once you can connect with that part of yourself, you will discover a whole new world you never thought possible.

Author Biography:

John Holland is a psychic medium, spiritual teacher, and author whose latest book is Bridging Two Realms: Learn to Communicate With Your Loved Ones on the Other-Side (Hay House, 2018). His previous books include The Spirit Whisperer (Hay House, 2010), Power of the Soul (Hay House, 2007), Psychic Navigator (Hay House, 2004), Born Knowing (Hay House, 2003). Visit johnholland.com.